Over the last 20 years we have seen the dramatic militarization of police agencies take place across the U.S. and this has meant that law enforcement powers have grown at the expense of the people.
They have increasingly treated the public as an enemy, rather than like a group that they are employed to serve and protect. More police forces have started to acquire military-grade weapons, and you now find yourself seeing tactics and weaponry that had been designated for war zones overseas, but is found on the streets of Boston or New York.
"In the United States, we’ve always drawn a firm line between the military and the police. There’s good reason for that. These are two very different jobs.... [but now] we’ve encouraged police officers to use the tactics and adopt the mindset of soldiers. - R BALKO
It has long been argued that this increase in militarization does little to impact or reduce crime and it brings with it a great threat to the rights of all people that must live under this tyranny.
Now, a new study has confirmed what we already know in that this militarization does not reduce crime.
"De‐militarizing our police should not only be about taking away gear that is too often used to conduct violent raids on nonviolent suspects; it should also be about reforming the mindset, held by too many officers, that they are soldiers going to war against their fellow citizens." - T Burrus
It is time to reconsider the militarization of police after we've seen how these tactics can make non-violent situations worse on numerous occasion. They have on more than one occasion made a situation much more deadly for communities around the country against peaceful and non-violent threats. This sort of policing culture is only going to further degrade not only the reputation of the enforcers but also the rights of those who they are employed to allegedly protect and uphold. The only ones who benefit from this sort of militarization of law enforcement that goes unchecked, are abusers in positions of authority, it doesn't help to keep people safe or reduce crime; it fuels just the opposite.
Pics:
pixabay